Chrome is the most secure web browser with full of features making it a top choice for users all over the world. The real feature gives Chrome its popularity is the extensions that provide extra functionality and capabilities. Besides, all Chrome extensions are free and easy to download from Chrome Web Store. These extensions help to customize the browser and improve your browsing experience. However, some extensions are not secure and outdated while others may slow the performance of the browser. They can even crash Chrome or block you from accessing certain web features. If you face any problems with Chrome, extensions are the first thing you should check. Fortunately, you can disable/remove extensions for security reasons or to fix Chrome issues. In this article, we will look at how you can disable extensions in Chrome using different methods.
How to Disable Extensions in Google Chrome?
In addition to disabling already installed extensions, you may also want to remove the feature completely. This could be due to multiple users using your computer or perhaps you want to restrict your children from installing unnecessary extensions. The first 5 methods in the below section explains disabling installed extensions in Chrome and the last method is about removing the extension feature completely.
1. Disable Extensions from Chrome Settings
You can easily turn off or on an extension from the extensions settings page. To do so;
- Go to the Chrome customization menu by clicking the three vertical dots on the top-right corner of the browser window.
- Hover the mouse over “More tools” and select “Extensions” from the sliding menu.
- You can also access the page by typing, “chrome://extensions/” URL in the address bar and press the enter key on your keyboard.
- This will load a page showing all the extensions you have installed in Chrome. You can identify the active extensions with the blue slider switch indicating they are turned on.
- To disable an extension, click on the blue slider and turn it off. The color of the slider will change from blue to grey.
- If you are troubleshooting an error in Chrome, it is advisable to disable extensions one by one at a time, while checking whether the issue has been resolved. This helps you to identify which extension is causing the problem so that you can delete it from Chrome.
Note: Do not worry about disabling an extension as the process is reversible without having to download or install afresh. You can easily enable an extension by sliding the toggle button to the right.
2. Deleting Chrome Extensions from Settings
- To delete an extension from Chrome, click the “Remove” button in the extensions page.
- Confirm the action by clicking “Remove” again on the prompt that appears.
If you want to use the deleted extension again, go to Chrome Web Store and reinstall it.
3. Disable Extensions from Chrome Task Manager
Chrome has its own Task Manager, which allows you to view and manage all the processes running on the browser including active extensions, tabs and other background processes. To open the Google Chrome Task Manager:
- Go to the Chrome menu, float your mouse over “More tools” to expand the menu and click “Task manager”.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the Task Manager to see the extensions running on your browser (preceded by the word “Extension:”).
- Select the extension you want to disable and click the “End process” button located at the bottom of the tasks window.
- This will deactivate the extension until next time when you launch Chrome. Therefore, this method is useful only when you need to stop an extension from running temporarily.
4. Disable Extension on Specific Sites
Most of the Google Chrome extensions allow you to disable/enable on some selected websites. This works by either giving or denying access to the sites.
- Go to the “chrome://extensions” page and click the “Details” button for the extension you need to disable.
- Scroll down to the “Site access” section and choose “On click” option to disable access on all sites. When you want to enable the extension on the site you are viewing, click on the “Extensions” puzzle icon next to address bar and then on the extension name.
- Select “On specific sites” to enable the extension only on your preferred websites. A dialog box will appear, allowing you to enter the site URL and then click the “Add” button. You can add as many websites as you would like.
5. Remove or Disable Extension from Puzzle Icon Next to Address Bar
You can also disable extension from the “Extensions” icon showing right next to Chrome address bar. It is possible to completely delete or only change the site permission.
- Open a webpage and then click the puzzle icon.
- Click the three vertical dots (More actions menu) showing against the extension that you want to disable.
- For deleting, select “Remove from Chrome” option and confirm by clicking on “Remove” button.
- For changing site permission, click “This can read…” option and choose one of the three alternatives as in the above step. Chrome will prompt you to reload the page and click on “Reload” button for the selection to work.
Some extensions may also offer an option to “pause” or “block” on that particular site or all sites. Click the puzzle icon and then click on the extension name to open its menu. There you can find pause or other options if available. Most of the ad blocking extensions in Chrome offer this flexibility.
6. Disable Installing Extensions Feature in Chrome
As mentioned above, you can also block users from installing extensions in Chrome. To do so, you need to access the default extension folder on your PC and modify the security settings for that folder.
- Press “Windows + E” and open File Explorer app.
- Navigate to “C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default” section and look for the “Extensions” folder. Remember to replace [Username] with your specific Windows user account name.
- Right-click on the folder and open its “Properties”.
- Switch to the “Security” tab, select the user and click “Edit” to change the permission settings.
- Check box under “Deny” column against the “Write” permission to stop the selected user from installing extensions.
- Click “Apply” and then “OK” to save the changes.
- When you try to add an extension to Chrome, you will get an error message.
Summary
While extensions in Chrome enable you to add more features and functions to the browser, there are times you would like to disable them. Besides, some extensions may expose you to security vulnerabilities or compromise the performance of your browser. With the above options, you can disable the extensions temporarily or delete the problematic extensions permanently. In addition, you can also prevent specific users on your computer from installing any extensions in Chrome.
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